Argentina faced Honduras in a World Cup warm-up match on Saturday, with head coach Lionel Scaloni opting to keep captain Lionel Messi on the bench despite confirming that the superstar is successfully regaining fitness after a minor injury.

Even with Scaloni making 10 changes to his starting lineup, the reigning world champions faced little trouble, securing a comfortable 2-0 victory over Honduras. Only defender Agustín Giay played the full 90 minutes for the Albiceleste.

The crowd at Kyle Field Stadium in College Station, Texas, provided vocal and passionate support for Argentina throughout the encounter. However, they were denied a chance to see the team's talisman in action, as Messi spent the entire match on the bench due to muscle fatigue.

The current world champions broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when Lautaro Martínez converted a penalty. Argentina was awarded the spot-kick after Nicolás Tagliafico was brought down inside the penalty box.

Atlético Madrid forward Giuliano Simeone doubled Argentina's advantage early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Simeone found the back of the net with a clinical finish after receiving a brilliant backheel pass from Lautaro.

Shortly after Simeone’s goal, Scaloni made a flurry of substitutions to rotate his squad but chose not to risk Messi. The 38-year-old icon suffered a minor knock during his last appearance for Inter Miami on May 25, just before joining the national camp.

Speaking about Messi's condition ahead of the match, Scaloni had said: "Leo is doing well. He trained a bit with the group on Friday, which is very positive. He is not completely isolated from the squad; he is recovering step by step. He might get some minutes in one of these two warm-up matches. We will see whether that happens tomorrow or in the next game." He added, "However, he feels much better now, which gives us peace of mind."

Argentina will kick off their World Cup campaign on June 16 against Algeria in Group J, which also features Austria and Jordan. Before the tournament opener, Scaloni’s men will play their final warm-up match against Iceland on June 9.